Scottish Executive

Cancer

Ben Wallace (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many times since 1999 mobile screening units for breast cancer have visited (a) Dumfries and Galloway, (b) Highland, (c) Lanarkshire, (d) Shetland and (e) Western Isles NHS Board areas.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: The Scottish Breast Screening Programme invites eligible women for breast screening every three years. Breast screening is provided at either mobile units or static screening centres.

  Mobile Screening Units have visited a number of locations in the following areas since 1999.

  Dumfries and Galloway 

  Lockerbie June to August 2000

  Newton Stewart and Stranraer September to October 2000

  Dumfries July to September 2001

  Castle Douglas April to June 2002

  Highland - has a dedicated mobile all year round with the exception of five months every three years when it is used in Western Isles by the same screening centre.

  Lanarkshire - all eligible women are screened on mobiles in Lanarkshire. There is always at least one mobile screening unit operational in Lanarkshire but normally two simultaneously in different localities.

  Shetland - 12 weeks 2001 (all eligible women invited for screening during this period).

  Western Isles - five months every three years. Beginning of May to end August 1999 and mid April to mid August 2002.

Central Heating

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to address any lack of qualified central heating technicians in order to complete the central heating initiative.

Ms Margaret Curran: Eaga currently have a sufficient number of sub-contractors working under the central heating programme which enabled them to meet their target of installing 3,550 central heating systems in 2001-02. The nature of the programme is itself encouraging new entrants to take up jobs in the industry but Eaga will, if necessary, participate in recognised training and apprenticeship schemes to attract new trainees and encourage those who left the industry to come back.

Children's Hearings

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25646 by Cathy Jamieson on 21 May 2002, on how many occasions in each of the last five years the Children’s Reporter has been informed by a social work department that a child has been placed in a unit other than that specified by a children’s hearing.

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25646 by Cathy Jamieson on 21 May 2002, on how many occasions in each of the last five years the Children’s Reporter has been informed by a social work department that a child had been placed in a unit other than a secure unit, where placement in the secure unit was recommended by a children’s hearing.

Cathy Jamieson: This information is not held by the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration.

Eating Disorders

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what upper limit it places on the waiting time for a first assessment at consultant level for patients with an eating disorder.

Malcolm Chisholm: No upper limit has been set but our work on waiting is founded on bringing down the longest waits.

Eating Disorders

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what specialist eating disorder units have closed in each year since 1999 and for what reason.

Malcolm Chisholm: There is no definition of "specialist eating disorder units" within the NHS. Information is not held centrally on services provided outside the NHS. An eating disorder service was provided by a consultant psychiatrist based at the Murray Royal Hospital in Perth. The service was discontinued in December 2001.

  We understand that Tayside NHS Board is discussing with neighbouring boards what future services might be provided for those with eating disorders. At present, such patients continue to be seen by general psychiatrists.

Education

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children in (a) Clydesdale and (b) South Lanarkshire have benefited from the Sure Start programme.

Cathy Jamieson: Data on the Sure Start Scotland programme from the recent mapping exercise is only available at a Scotland level. Raw data available at local authority level would not be of sufficient quality and completeness to support analysis or to allow conclusions to be drawn or comparisons with other data to be made. The mapping exercise found that over 9,000 additional children received support in the first year of implementation of Sure Start Scotland (1999-2000). This increased to over 15,000 additional children in 2000-01. The figures cover a wide range of provision which vary in intensity from one-off interventions to sustained support over a long period.

  South Lanarkshire reports that Sure Start Scotland funding has been used mainly to improve childcare provision across the council, particularly in social inclusion partnership areas, and to enhance integrated working practices and a more holistic approach to work with very young children. The main form of service delivery is through centres offering group provision, such as daycare, parenting programmes, and support groups, while some intensive one-to-one provision is also offered by centres as drop-in sessions or as outreach home visiting.

Energy

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the impact of the new British Electricity Trading and Transmission Arrangements on entrepreneurs launching sustainable energy technologies and ventures.

Lewis Macdonald: We are in regular contact with colleagues in the Department of Trade and Industry and with the industry regulator Ofgem concerning plans for the introduction of new electricity market trading arrangements across Great Britain.

  The regulation of the electricity market is a reserved matter.

Environment

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to combat vegetation such as giant hogweed and whether there is a national strategy on this issue and a website giving details on these matters.

Allan Wilson: It is for local authorities to take action where the amenity of a particular area is threatened by invasive plant species such as giant hogweed.

  Information on control methods for giant hogweed is widely available from a large number of internet websites.

Environment

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with local authorities and others on combating vegetation such as giant hogweed.

Allan Wilson: The Executive has not discussed invasive plant species with local authorities. Local authorities are already well aware of their powers to act to minimise the impact of invasive plants in circumstances where the plants' presence is threatening the amenity of a particular area.

Environment

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering any legislative changes to combat vegetation such as giant hogweed.

Allan Wilson: In reply to question S1W-21820 on 28 January 2002, I indicated that the Executive was participating in a GB-wide review of the current and potential threats posed by invasive non-native species, including giant hogweed. The Executive's future policy on this issue, including the possible need for legislative action, will be informed by the report of the review group which will be submitted to Scottish ministers later this year.

Mental Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why no specific task force has been established for mental health, in line with the other national clinical priority areas.

Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-25312 on 7 May 2002. My view remains that the remit, membership and approach of the Mental Health and Well Being Support Group is fit for purpose. However, as part of our commitment to on-going review a Short Life Working Group has been established with representative interests including users of services, support group members, the Mental Welfare Commission, the Scottish Association for Mental Health and the agencies. The group is to review current and alternative approaches for delivering improved and extended mental health care, services and support. The group expects to conclude their considerations this autumn.

Mental Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to tackle any problems highlighted by the recently published national overview on schizophrenia by the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Clinical Standards Board overview and published audit tool provide a national framework for service improvement in this very important area of care. The responsibility for improving current provision rests primarily with NHSScotland, supported as necessary by national action on training, information and other organisational and quality compliance issues. The in-year Health Department Performance Assessment arrangements and the on-going reviews by the visiting Mental Health and Well Being Support Group will play their part.

Mental Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will implement a national training programme for multidisciplinary teams in order to ensure that people with schizophrenia have access to evidence-based social and psychological approaches to care.

Malcolm Chisholm: There are no immediate plans for a national training programme for multi-disciplinary teams. Reliance is placed upon the agencies to work together to ensure that the training required and given reflects care and quality of need and the multi-agency and professional dimensions.

  In respect of psychological interventions, the best practice guidance published in October 2001 also placed proper emphasis on the need for joint agencies to set in place recruitment, retention and training policies as part of the local joint commissioning process.

  Further, NHS Education for Scotland will promote a multi-disciplinary approach to the training and education of healthcare staff and co-ordinate and oversee educational support. The aim is to deliver a more strategic approach to the development of multidisciplinary skills by making the necessary links between different professional groups and help underpin new models of working which are crucial to the modernisation of NHSScotland.

Mental Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to initiate a national strategy for the treatment of schizophrenia.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Clinical Standards Board for Scotland has published their review of schizophrenia services and associated audit tool. Combined they provide an effective national framework for service improvement in this very important area of care. The response by NHSScotland will be set against these benchmark documents and the high standards they promote. The self assessment component for the service providers, the Health Department Performance Assessment arrangements and the on-going reviews by the visiting Mental Health and Well Being Support Group will all play their part in delivering change and improvement in line with the published standards.

Ministers

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why it did not make any minister available to participate in "Newsnight Scotland" on 14 May 2002 to discuss the Members’ Business debate in the Parliament on the Scottish Criminal Record Office (S1M-3076) which was due to be held on 15 May 2002.

Patricia Ferguson: As Scottish ministers are amongst the parties involved in the action brought by Ms McKie it would have been inappropriate for them to participate in the programme.

Ministers

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its news release SEet037/2002 on 23 May 2002 on using public transport, which Ministers routinely travel to work by (a) public transport, (b) private car and (c) ministerial car.

Mr Andy Kerr: Ministerial travel patterns vary according to the timing and location of engagements. Arrangements for travel to work are made to support the efficient conduct of Government business and the security of official documents, involving the use of the Government Car Service as appropriate. The Executive does not hold central records of ministerial travel by public transport or private car.

Nursing

Nicola Sturgeon (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how value for money for the NHS from the introduction of nurse consultant posts is determined.

Malcolm Chisholm: All consultant nurse/midwife submissions are vetted by a central evaluation panel co-ordinated by the Scottish Executive Health Department. Prior to doing so each proposal must be supported by the local Unified Health Board. In their submission each trust/NHS board must demonstrate the local need for the post, explaining how this fits with the rest of the organisation and the key policy documents influencing the development of this proposal. Each submission must also include the arrangements for audit and the outcome measures that will be used to evaluate the impact of the post.

Nutrition

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement made by the Minister for Health and Community Care at the Diet and Cancer Conference in Glasgow on 14 May 2002, what (a) advice is given to the public on improving diet, (b) overall funding is allocated to improving the Scottish diet, (c) proportion of overall funding to improve the Scottish diet is allocated to improving children's diets, (d) dietary action is recommended to reduce the occurrence of cancer in poorer communities, (e) dietary action is recommended to reduce the occurrence of heart disease in poorer communities, (f) proportion of the £1 million per year allocated to the implementation of the Scottish Diet Action Plan is spent on initiatives to improve children's diets, (g) funding is allocated to the Scottish Community Diet project, (h) community food initiatives are being undertaken to improve children's diets, (i) funding per child has been allocated to support school breakfast clubs in social inclusion partnership areas and (j) measures have been taken to improve the Scottish diet since the 1993 Scottish Diet Report was published.

Malcolm Chisholm: Eating for Health , the Scottish Diet Action Plan, set out dietary targets and recommended that accurate consistent healthy eating messages should be based on these. The dietary action recommended in Eating for Health  is aimed at improving overall health and reducing the incidence of preventable dietary-related illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. The recommendations in Eating for Health apply to all sections of the community.

  Healthy eating in line with Eating for Health is promoted as part of health improvement by a range of organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors. A National Food and Health Co-ordinator was appointed in 2001 to give further impetus to implementation of Eating for Health.

  Information on the total resources involved in this work, which includes support for breakfast clubs from a number of sources, is not held centrally, nor is it possible to break down expenditure to identify work with adults and children separately. The Scottish Executive allocates £1 million each year to implementing Eating for Health and has prioritised diet within the £26 million Health Improvement Fund. Diet forms an important part of the £6 million National Health Demonstration Project "Have a Heart Paisley". The Executive has also created a £250,000 Breakfast Service Challenge Fund to expand services targeting vulnerable children and is reviewing current provision, and is also taking steps to improve the quality of school meals. The Scottish Community Diet Project has a specific remit to work with low-income communities and will receive funding of £1.2 million between 2002 and 2005. It supports a range of community food initiatives including breakfast clubs, community garden and allotment schemes, healthy food tasting sessions and local healthy food stores.

Renewable Energy

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it or anybody on its behalf has met (a) representatives of the proposed developer or its subsidiary company or companies or (b) any objector to the proposed Whitelees Wind Farm and, if so, when any such meetings took place and who (i) was invited and (ii) attended.

Lewis Macdonald: Officials from Energy Division met with representatives from Scottish Power to discuss the Whitelee proposal on three occasions between November 2001 and May 2002.

  In addition, during this period, Executive officials have attended a public meeting organised by Eaglesham Community Council and met members of the local community.

Roads

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines exist on the number of public toilets to be provided adjacent to trunk road routes.

Peter Peacock: No guidelines exist on the number of public toilets to be provided adjacent to trunk road routes.

  National Planning Policy Guideline (NPPG) 9: The Provision of Roadside Facilities on Motorways and Trunk Roads in Scotland provides planning guidance on the siting and design of such facilities. It does, however, not offer guidance on the number of facilities to be provided. A copy of NPPG 9 is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 1082).

Roads

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it requires Dumfries and Galloway Council to provide public toilet facilities in Langholm for users of the A7.

Peter Peacock: No, section 26 of the Local Government and Planning (Scotland) Act 1982 states that local authorities may provide and maintain public toilets but lays no statutory obligation upon them to do so.

Scottish Executive Staff

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how long it holds information on the (a) hours worked by and (b) allowances paid to employees and what action it would take to retrieve such information in circumstances (i) where the information has been misplaced or (ii) where any timescale for holding the information has been exceeded.

Mr Andy Kerr: Information about the hours staff in the Scottish Executive are contracted to work and any permanent allowances paid to them is held on the payroll system. This can hold pay history information for up to seven years but, if a record becomes too large, old data is removed. Overtime history is held until the record becomes too large or for 18 months, whichever is soonest. Records showing hours worked by staff under the flexible working hours scheme are held from January 2001 to date. Information about any temporary allowances paid to staff in the last three years can be provided.

  Depending on the circumstances for which it was required all reasonable means would be taken to retrieve such information where it had been misplaced or where the timescales for holding the information had been exceeded.

Water Charges

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the basis upon which metered water charges are calculated was formulated.

Ross Finnie: This is a matter for Scottish Water. The Chief Executive's response is:

  Charges for metered customers have always been based on a combination of fixed and volumetric elements. The proportion of the charge represented by the fixed element is being increased to make charges more reflective of the costs of providing the service, and so fairer to all categories of customer. This is in line with the advice of the Water Industry Commissioner for Scotland in his Strategic Review of Charges 2002-06.

Water Charges

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to review the basis upon which metered water charges are calculated.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the surface water drainage charges made to commercial premises with metered water.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to harmonise the basis upon which domestic and commercial surface water drainage charges are calculated for metered users.

Ross Finnie: This is a matter for Scottish Water. The Chief Executive's response is:

  Scottish Water is currently undertaking a review of tariff structures for all the services it provides to its customers. The review will seek to establish:

  the most appropriate tariff structures for all customers, including those with metered supplies;

  the most appropriate tariff structures for surface water drainage charges for all customers, including commercial customers supplied through a water meter, and

  a consistent approach to charging domestic, commercial and industrial customers for all services, whether metered or not, including surface water drainage charges.